Dragonjustice
by jrlibrarian
Summary: Korla comes to High Reaches Weyr with nothing but her dragon and a lot of bad memories. Then she gets a note from her old Weyrleader and everything changes. Rated T because it contains two mating flights and some violence.
1. Prologue

Prologue

A brown rider was trying to cool down after a very weird conveyance trip. Ever since his dragon had chosen him at the Hatching almost five years ago, he'd had to get used to this kind of thing.

But no trip had ever been like this one. The rider had picked up his brother, and transported him to Nuhair's Mine in Crom. As a High Reaches rider, he knew all the coordinates to all the mines in Crom.

But what threw the rider was that his brother had returned after less than five minutes, and had urged him to take off immediately. The rider had done so, of course, but ever since, he had wondered what it was all about.

Now, along with the rest of the Weyr, he was eating supper, and trying to forget that trip. The food was good. The Headwoman of High Reaches knew how to make good food.

The rider's dragon had eaten well, too. The herds on the Feeding Ground were well-stocked, and all the Weyr's dragons ate well.

When the rider finished his meal, he was about ready to exit the dining hall when the Weyrleader stood up.

"Riders, I have bad news. I've just received word that a tunnel collapsed at Nuhair's Mine recently, trapping two visiting Smiths and their escort. The mine is asking for volunteers for a rescue effort."

This would have been routine, almost. Even the most well-run mine had a few tunnel collapses now and then. But it wasn't routine for the rider. He had a sneaking suspicion in the back of his mind that this was what the visit to Nuhair's Mine that afternoon had been about.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The plot and characters are my own, but the setting and theory belong to Anne McCaffrey.

Chapter One

T'ren looked once more at the transfer papers on his desk. Then he looked at the young green rider from Benden Weyr who had filled them out.

The girl, who couldn't have been more than sixteen Turns of age, was dressed rather modestly in a shapeless black garment that did nothing for her figure, and would have made her unnoticeable but for the startlingly violet eyes she had, and the soft brown hair around her head. The gown certainly did not befit a new rider. What was her name again? Oh yes, Korla.

"Tell me again why you want to transfer to High Reaches Weyr," T'ren prompted.

The girl sighed, and went over the story again. "I'm an orphan, my brother was the only family I had, he died. I need to get away from all the memories."

T'ren looked at the papers again. He had to take her; L'poll had specifically asked him to. And the Benden Weyrleader wasn't someone to ignore. There was only the matter of how soon her green's first mating flight would be. _Polzienth?_ he asked his bronze dragon silently.

_A few sevendays, at least,_ the dragon replied, his voice betraying a sort of hunger.

_Oh, so the queen's chosen mate can twine necks with any green he chooses, is that it? _ T'ren thought, amused.

_It's been too long since I flew Saylith, _Polzienth replied.

_K'men's weyrling class is still full from that flight, _T'ren pointed out.

_It's still been too long._

T'ren gave up reasoning and turned back to Korla.

"I'll get you in touch with K'men, our Weyrlingmaster," T'ren said, making up his mind. "He'll know whether you've enough training to join a wing."

The young girl gave him a look of such gratitude that he wondered why he'd ever considered her inexpressive.

"Welcome to High Reaches Weyr, Korla," T'ren said, hoping that he was making the right decision.

Korla left the Weyrleader's quarters, following the directions he had given her. High Reaches Weyr had a completely different setup than her native Benden, but in other respects it was just the same.

Dragonriders waved amiably at her as she passed them in the corridor. To them, she wasn't "that poor girl" who had lost her family. Here, she was just another girl.

Immediately, and without warning, she was flooded with a wave of sorrow. _Oh, Kornen!_ she cried inwardly. _Why did you leave me?_ Korla leaned against the nearest wall and tried to get ahold of herself.

Her brother Kornen had been all she had. When she'd heard about the mine tunnel collapsing with him in it, only Rinath had kept her sane.

_Rinath! _Korla called to her dragon in relief. Impressing the dear green one was her most cherished memory.

_I am here! _Rinath replied, reassuring. She'd had a lot of practice in the past few days.

Why am I walking? Korla thought to herself.

"Get ready to fly," she murmured. Then she made her way out to the nearest ledge.

Rinath flew to meet her. _You were sad again,_ she scolded. The dragon's multifaceted eyes were the yellow-green that told Korla she was concerned for her rider. It was a familiar shade these days.

"Yes, I am sad," Korla admitted, throwing an arm around her dragon for support. "But there are more important things. Let's fly, dear Rinath."

Korla marveled, not for the first time, at how much Rinath had grown in the single Turn since her hatching. The green dragon was just as big as the smaller blue dragons. She was still dwarfed by the larger queens, bronzes, and most browns, though. Not that Korla would ever complain. Who wanted a snooty queen anyway? Certainly not her, not while she had the most wonderful dragon in the whole world.

Korla mounted Rinath and secured herself into the harness. Then Rinath launched into the air. The sight of the mountains surrounding High Reaches Weyr took Korla's breath away.

They headed to the weyrling barracks, which were hard to miss. They looked empty to Korla, but that was where Weyrleader T'ren had said K'men would be.

Once inside the area, Korla realized why it had looked empty. All of the barracks were empty, but seventeen young dragons and seventeen young people, as well as an older dragonpair, were gathered in a large cavern next to the barrack area.

All looked up at the sound of her arrival. Korla wasn't naturally nervous, but there had been so many new things in her life that she wasn't sure what to do with another one.

_Go on, _Rinath urged her.

Slowly, Korla dismounted, and walked over to the oldest dragonpair, which could only consist of K'men and his dragon. "Hi," she said stupidly.

K'men glared at her in proper drill sergeant fashion. "Name, rank, and reason for being here," he barked.

Korla stood up straight and answered him. "Korla, recent transfer, and Weyrleader T'ren sent me because you're supposed to figure out whether I'm a weyrling or not."

"Well, let's take a look, shall we? Class, pay attention, as you will get the same assessment in time." K'men walked over to Rinath and looked her over. He made some notes on the notepad he was carrying.

"Let's see you fly," the old man said. Willingly, Korla mounted Rinath and awaited instructions.

_Spokanth tells me we are to go _between _to the Star Stones, _Rinath informed Korla.

_Do it, _Korla replied, grateful to know the name of K'men's dragon. Rinath rose from the ground, and as Korla visualized the ancient stones on the Weyr's Rim, they went _between_.

The utter dark never ceased to stop Korla's heart. As always since she'd first flown like this, she counted the time spent here. One...two...three...They burst out of _between_ next to the Star Stones.

Korla praised her clever dragon. _Oh, Rinath dear. We did it!_

_Of course, _Rinath sniffed. _Why wouldn't we? _But her eyes were whirling with excitement.

_Spokanth says we are to go to Igen Weyr, report to the watchdragon there, and then come back._

_All right, _Korla said. She knew the Igen coordinates well. One of her friends at Benden Weyr had transferred there, and she often visited. She visualized the Weyr now, and told Rinath to go _between_.

They emerged over the Weyr and landed next to the watchdragon. "Korla and Rinath of High Reaches Weyr, reporting in."

The blue rider on duty winked at her. "I'll tell your Weyrlingmaster you arrived," he said, smiling.

"Thanks!" Korla said as Rinath took off and went _between_ to High Reaches.

Korla heard clapping as Rinath glided over to K'men and Spokanth. She waited.

"Can she chew firestone?" he asked, nodding at Rinath.

Korla shook her head. "We were just about ready to start lessons when -" she faltered "- when I transferred," she finished, unable to speak openly about Kornen's death just yet.

"Then you're at the level of my group here. We were just starting our first firestone lesson when you showed up. You may join our class for today, weyrling."

Korla and Rinath joined the others. As she sat down, Korla felt as if she might just make it in this new Weyr.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The plot and characters are my own, but the setting and theory belong to Anne McCaffrey.

Chapter Two

S'mar couldn't wait for class to end. He wanted to meet the new girl.

_Settle down! _Nerith warned him. But the blue dragon's eyes betrayed him. He was as excited as S'mar.

Finally, K'men announced that class was over for the morning. S'mar rushed at the new girl before anyone else had a chance. "Hi, I'm S'mar and this is my dragon, Nerith," he pointed at the blue, who was following at a slower pace.

The new girl looked at him, and burst out laughing. "I'm sorry," she gasped. "I really shouldn't laugh, but you should see yourself."

Stung, S'mar turned, intending to walk away, and Nerith showed him what he looked like. Then he had to laugh, too. "I do look a sight, don't I?" For he was still wearing his sleeping clothes, and had thrown his Weyr jacket over top them. They clashed horribly, and he hadn't noticed 'til now.

"I'm Korla," the new girl said when she'd regained her composure. "This is my dragon, Rinath, and we're pleased to meet you and Nerith. Thank you for making me laugh. I needed it."

Indeed, Korla did look sad. S'mar wanted to make her laugh again, so he bowed dramatically and said, "My pleasure, ma'am."

The girl giggled. "I wonder if you could point me in the direction to get new Weyr insignia," she said. "I just came from Benden, and I don't have anything I need."

"You can get those anytime," S'mar said dismissively. "But lunch comes once a day. Would you allow me to escort you to the dining hall?"

S'mar smiled when he heard the giggle he'd elicited from her. "All right, S'mar," she said. "Lead on."

He led her past the Hatching Ground and across the Bowl to the Lower Caverns. Soon, he was seated across from her in the dining hall, and waiting for food.

Just as the meal was about to start, a drudge came with a note and handed it to Korla. She read it once through, and gasped.

"I'm really sorry, S'mar. It was nice meeting you, but I need to go!" she said, agitated.

"But -!" S'mar called after her. It was too late. All he could see was soft brown hair flowing out behind her as she left.

Disappointed, S'mar sat down again. He looked at her place, and noticed that she'd lost the note. _I shouldn't read it_, he told himself.

_Why not? _Nerith asked. _Good question, _S'mar answered. He reached for the note and opened it up. Then he sat back, shell-shocked, for it was a small piece of paper, saying only the words: "That was no accident."

_Rinath! _Korla called. _Tell Mardoth to ask his rider what he meant by this. _

She'd recognized L'poll's handwriting as soon as she'd seen it. The Benden Weyrleader wasn't a close friend, but she'd seen his writing often enough while filling out the transfer application forms.

_Mardoth says his rider will tell us later, _Rinath informed her.

"That's a load of help," Korla muttered. She was walking across the Bowl to the weyr T'ren had assigned her before he'd sent her to find K'men. It wasn't big, she noticed as she entered it, but then, Rinath wasn't a larger dragon like the bronzes.

When she'd gotten that note, the first thing her mind went to was the accident that had killed Kornen. What if it hadn't been an accident? She turned red with anger just thinking about it.

She needed to think about it, and she needed to be alone to do that. She sat down on the bed, and felt something that wasn't bedclothes. She looked under her, and found a new Weyr uniform with High Reaches insignia. Korla smiled. Apparently, she wouldn't need to pick that up herself.

Kornen had been so nice, she mused as she put on the new uniform. Why would anyone want to do that to him? Her twin in years, he'd been different in temperament. Before she'd Impressed Rinath, Korla had been an apprentice at the Harper Hall. Shyer than she was, Kornen had worked hard to get apprenticed to a Master Smith, and he'd done well. He'd told her he liked the job because he wasn't expected to talk much. All anyone had wanted was for him to produce good work.

Less than a sevenday ago, Kornen's Master had taken him along to inspect the metal in Nuhair's Mine. What Korla had heard was that the metal had been faulty, and the tunnel had collapsed, killing Kornen, his Master, and their escort.

How could someone plan something like that? She had to talk to L'poll and find out why he didn't think it was an accident.

L'poll knew full well that Korla must be wracking her brains by now to figure out how Kornen's death couldn't have been an accident. He'd sent her the note, after all. But he thought he'd been right to give her more information.

Korla had an analytical mind. That was why he'd decided to sanction her request to transfer Weyrs. As the person closest to Kornen, she would attract the least attention as an investigator. And High Reaches Weyr was closest to Crom.

L'poll wanted the murderer caught, but he couldn't punish a man on suspicion alone. Korla would have to collect the evidence herself.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The plot and characters are my own, but the setting and theory belong to Anne McCaffrey.

Chapter Three

S'mar knew something was wrong as soon as Korla joined the afternoon class. She had a look of extreme concentration on her face, but she had to be reminded to put the firestone in Rinath's mouth.

S'mar didn't need to be reminded. He'd been waiting for the firestone lessons ever since he'd learned they were coming. Since they were halfway through an Interval, he doubted he'd ever fight Thread, but having the ability to was nearly as appealing.

Nerith was excited, too. Dragons talked among themselves, S'mar had learned. And poor Nerith had been regaled by many a dragon with tales of grandeur. And it repeated with every firestone drill. For dragons had short memories, and they quickly forgot the stories they told.

At first, S'mar didn't know how much firestone Nerith would need to sustain flame. But K'men helped him out, as he helped everyone who needed it. By the end of the afternoon, Nerith had managed to sustain his flame for longer than any other blue in the class.

But S'mar's elation diminished somewhat when Nerith burped up firestone ash all over the Weyr floor. The only thing that kept him from dying of shame was the sight of every other dragon except K'men's Spokanth doing the same.

"Clean that mess up, and then you're free to go," K'men barked, eliciting groans everywhere.

S'mar found himself working next to Fr'kane, a green weyrling who'd been trying to catch his eye. The guy was nice, in his own way, but S'mar was having trouble convincing him that he did _not_ want to escalate their relationship beyond friendship.

"I've heard K'men say that the greens should rise soon," Fr'kane said now, giving S'mar a pointed look.

_Selmith is looking lovely today,_ Nerith pointed out.

_Oh, shut up, you,_ S'mar snapped, shuddering.

"Okay, look," he said out loud. "I. Do. Not. Like. Guys. Get the picture?"

"Hold-bred, right?" Fr'kane said. "Relax. You're in a Weyr. Let your true feelings through."

"They are," S'mar growled, trying desperately hard not to knock some sense into this guy. He could never fault Nerith for being a blue, but most of the blue riders did eventually end up with male weyrmates, and so everyone assumed that S'mar was like them.

"You are beautiful when you're angry. Did you know that?" Fr'kane breathed, a rosy blush tainting his cheeks.

S'mar mentally gagged and stalked off to clean firestone ash somewhere else. He could only hope. Fr'kane had gotten the hint.

Korla, meanwhile, was enjoying an uncomfortable conversation of her own. She'd ended up next to a bronze weyrling who never seemed to shut up about himself. She was relieved to see S'mar coming.

"Excuse me," she said, interrupting the bronze weyrling's explanation of his lineage. "I see a friend coming." Then she pushed past him and headed to meet S'mar.

He looked extremely upset about something. "What's wrong, S'mar?" she asked, momentarily putting aside her own troubles out of concern for her new friend.

She almost laughed when she heard his story. Thankfully, she stopped in time to save S'mar's dignity.

Then a thought hit her. "He might be right, though," she said. "About the greens," she added when she was his look of outrage.

"I don't know if I can handle it," she said, sounding weary even to herself. "Not on top of everything else."

"What is 'everything else'?" S'mar asked, suddenly serious. "I know I hardly know you, but I want us to be friends. Friends help each other, and I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."

Korla thought about it. S'mar seemed over-enthusiastic, but that was just a first impression. He'd already surprised her once. Maybe he would be a good ally.

She decided to tell him. "I'll tell you," she said, "but not here. There's too many people around."

"Fair enough," he said.

All the weyrlings worked togethre to get the ash cleaned up, and the job was soon done. Then it was time for the evening meal. It was only Korla's second meal, but already she found that she liked the food better than Benden's. The drink, however, didn't compare, since Benden Hold made the best wine.

All too soon, the meal was over. Korla led S;mar to her weyr, where she spilled the whole story: Kornen's death, her transfer, and then the note from L'poll that had made her view the death as suspicious.

"So that's why I've been tense," she finished lamely.

S'mar was silent. Korla looked to see his eyes filling with tears. She wondered why. It wasn't his problem that this had happened to her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked when she voiced this opinion. "You think I'm going to let you carry this all by yourself? Let me help you."

Korla was touched. S'mar hadn't been repulsed by the fact that her brother had died. He hadn't offered useless words of comfort. He'd just shared her pain, and let his empathy be the comfort.

"Of course you can help," she said. "In fact, you've already helped, in more ways than you can imagine."

They'd been sitting with their feet dangling off the weyr ledge. Now S'mar put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. They sat there in companionable silence for a while.

Then S'mar asked quietly. "So what do we do first?"

"Think of a plan," Korla said, and laughed.

Fr'kane was worried. It seemed likely that Selmith would rise to mate soon, and he still hadn't found the right guy. He was a romantic at heart, and from what he'd heard about mating flights, he wanted to experience Selmith's with a rider he actually felt something for.

_What are you worried about?_ Selmith asked now. _A dragon will fly me, and that will be that._

"So sensible," Fr'kane muttered, shaking his head. "I wish it were that easy,"

He'd thought he'd struck gold with S'mar. There was a guy who was funny, smart, and dependable, not to mention good-looking. With his tall frame, blonde hair, and amazingly deep blue eyes, S'mar was sharding near irresistible.

At first, Fr'kane had thought S'mar was just afraid to be who he was, being hold-bred and all. But that had changed this afternoon. He'd seen S'mar with that transfer girl, seen the look in his eyes, and his heart had finally believed what his head had known all along: S'mar didn't prefer men.

And now Fr'kane was despondently sitting on his weyr ledge, with only Selmith to keep him company.

_Aren't I enough?_ she asked now, catching his train of thought.

"Of course you are," Fr'kane assured her. "You're more than enough." And she was. But still Fr'kane longed for human love.

He stared up at the star-filled night sky. Belior was in the first quarter tonight, and Timor was full and bright. Fr'kane was always awestruck when he saw how large the universe must be, to hold this many stars.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Fr'kane jumped, and turned to see where the voice was coming from. There was a man on the ledge next to his, also looking at the sky. Fr'kane's breath caught in his chest as he saw the young man (he couldn't have been more than 20). He had night-black hair that threatened to hang over his eyes, but didn't quite manage it. Which was good, because those bright green eyes captivated Fr'kane in their expressiveness. "Absolutely beautiful," Fr'kane replied fervently, not taking his eyes off the strange young man.

The man looked his way, laughter in his eyes. "I'm R'kun," he said. "Want to join me?"

Fr'kane got up and easily leaped the short distance between the ledges. "I'm Fr'kane. Pleased to meet you," he said, holding out his hand.

R'kun took it, and Fr'kane shivered at his touch. "Pleased to meet you, too. I've never seen you before. Are you from this latest hatching?"

Fr'kane nodded. "And I've been in this weyr for three sevendays. I can't think why I've never seen you, either."

He shrugged. "Probably about a sevenday ago, this weyr opened up. I think the last occupant got transferred or something. A couple days ago, I decided to move in. It might have been just coincidence I never saw you before now."

"I have to ask," Fr'kane said. "How old were you when you Impressed?"

R'kun chuckled. "I was fourteen, to tell the truth. I'm eighteen now, but I look older. How about you?"

"Seventeen," Fr'kane replied. "Since yesterday."

They lapsed into silence. It was strange, but it felt to Fr'kane like they didn't need to do a lot of talking to feel comfortable together. This was proved when R'kun slipped his hand into Fr'kane's. Fr'kane let him. True, they had just met, but already he felt that he could understand the phrase "love at first sight".

"What's your dragon's name?" Fr'kane asked, eyeing the chocolate brown dragon sleeping inside the weyr.

"Bronth," R'kun said with a smile. "He's the best brown in the Weyr."

"And Selmith's the best green," Fr'kane replied, worried that his dragon had felt left out. But no, when he touched her mind, she felt amused.

_Why should I feel left out? This is good for you. You're going to stop worrying now._

_Can't argue with that, _Fr'kane replied.

He yawned suddenly. Now that his anxiety had left, the long day was catching up with him.

"Guess I'd better go," he said reluctantly. "More firestone practice tomorrow." He got up.

R'kun got up, too. "Are you sure you have to go?" he asked.

Fr'kane nodded. "Selmith hasn't risen yet, and I can't compromise her."

"I meant so soon," R'kun said. "I wouldn't want to move that fast anyway."

"Me neither," Fr'kane said through a yawn. "I just said that as a precaution. Well, good night."

"Good night," he heard R'kun call after him as he jumped back over to his own weyr.

Later, as he was climbing into bed, Fr'kane realized that this was just exactly the sort of thing he had dreamed about many times. He hoped against hope that this time, it had been real.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The plot and characters are my own, but the setting and theory belong to Anne McCaffrey.

Chapter Four

Korla woke up in an unfamiliar place. It wasn't her weyr at Benden, that was for sure. Then she saw Rinath, and everything came back to her. She was at High Reaches Weyr, with an assignment to do.

_Rinath, ask Nerith if his rider is awake, _Korla said as she donned her Weyr uniform.

Last night, they'd decided on a plan. First, they would interview the owner of the mine, and find out who had constructed the tunnel that had collapsed. That was what they planned on doing today, before weyrling class.

_Nerith says they are waiting for us at the Star Stones, _Rinath reported.

"Boy, he's eager," she muttered, putting the riding harness on Rinath. It wasn't even dawn yet. She mounted Rinath with the ease of long practice, and they took to the air.

Indeed, S'mar and Nerith were hovering next to the monument that warned Pern when another Pass of the Red Star was due. Not for the first time, Korla felt a surge of relief at the fact that such a Pass wasn't due to begin for another hundred years. The Red Star brought with it Thread, a mindless organism eating everything but metal, stone, and water. Only fire destroyed it, which was why the dragonriders existed.

Korla waved at S'mar. He waved back. She saw that, today, he had taken the time to dress properly. The reminder of his outfit the previous day brought a smile to her face.

She told Rinath to transmit the coordinates of Nuhair's Mine to Nerith, and then, they went _between _on her signal.

They emerged over the mine, which was in full swing, as the workers kept long hours. As one, the two dragons landed to allow their riders to dismount, and then flew to the fireheights.

Korla took a deep breath to gather her confidence, and then marched over to the administrative center of the mine. It cheered her to have S'mar flanking her. She didn't know what it was, but something about him exuded confidence.

"How may I help you?" the owner of the mine said when they reached him.

"We're wondering if you can give us some information," S'mar said, sounding professional.

"On what?" the man asked.

"Who constructed the mine supports for this mine?" Korla asked him.

"That should be in the records here," the owner said, flipping through a stack of wherhide sheets. "Ah, here we go," He held out one particular sheet so he could read it better. "Mastersmith Sifer. He did the whole lot. Mineworkers installed them, though."

"Can you tell us which mine worker did the installation for the tunnel that collapsed recently?" S'mar asked.

"Journeyman Cairden," the owner replied, shaking his head. "I sent him back to the Hall for further training. It was tragic, really tragic."

"Thank you so much, Master," Korla said, shrewdly guessing that any mine owner had to be a Master Miner. "That's all the information we need. You've been most helpful."

"My pleasure," the owner said as they left the room.

"Where to next?" S'mar asked nonchalantly. "Smith Hall or Mine Hall?"

"Weyr," Korla replied. "I don't know if you've noticed, but as it is, we'll barely have time to grab a cup of klah before class."

"I meant tonight," S'mar said wryly.

"Mine Hall," Korla told him. "I'd like to have a talk with this Cairden person."

"You and me both," she heard him mutter.

Rinath and Nerith were waiting for them to mount. They mounted, and in less than a minute, were back in the Weyr.

Fr'kane awoke from a deep sleep with the distinct feeling that he'd overslept. He looked outside and saw that the sun was already up and had been so for at least an hour.

"Shells!" he hissed, furious at himself. "K'men will kill me."

He leaped out of bed and pulled his Weyr uniform on haphazardly. Then he raced to the Lower Caverns so quickly that he broke a sweat.

"Klah, please," Fr'kane panted out to one of the kitchen workers.

She prepared a cup for him, and he downed it in one gulp. He thrust the cup back at her and gasped his thanks before galloping off to the weyrling barracks, where Selmith met him.

They tried to sneak inside, so K'men wouldn't lecture them on being on time. No luck.

"Another latecomer!" K'men roared. "That means there will be three of you cleaning firestone ash instead of eating lunch."

Fr'kane knew better than to complain. It was his fault for staying up late the night before. He only wondered who else had been late this morning.

There wasn't much time to wonder, though. Pretty soon the bags of firestone were handed out, and the whole class practiced getting just the right amount for their dragons.

"Good job, Selmith," Fr'kane praised his dragon when she held a stream of fire for two whole minutes. "If this were a Pass, no Thread would be able to hide from you."

The downside of her success was that there would be that much more firestone ash to clean up. When it was time for lunch, Fr'kane stifled a groan and fetched the cleaning supplies.

When he came back, Fr'kane was surprised to see that S'mar and the transfer girl were the other miscreants. He thought of asking them why they'd been late, and then thought better of it. He cleaned in silence, thinking of the night before.

R'kun. Oh how he hoped R'kun was real. R'kun had been so nice and they had gotten along so well. It almost seemed too good to be true.

_Bronth's rider is trying to sneak up on you, _Selmith informed him after he had been cleaning for about ten minutes.

That news was enough to make Fr'kane drop the cleaning tools and spin around. A grin spread across his face at the sight of his new friend.

"How did you know I was here?" Fr'kane asked.

"Didn't see you at lunch, figured old K'men had you cleaning up the mess," R'kun replied. "Who are your friends?"

Fr'kane looked over his shoulder and saw that S'mar and the transfer girl had also left their work. "Oh, that's S'mar, and that's - what was your name again?"

"Korla," she answered. "I just transferred here, so I don't know a lot of people."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Fr'kane said. "Where are my manners? I'm Fr'kane, and this is my friend R'kun."

"I brought food," R'kun said, holding out some bread rolls.

That was all that needed to be said for the others to accept him. The food was soon gone, but R'kun offered to help them clean, and they quickly got the rest of the work done.

They ended up sitting is a circle on the ground and just talking. Korla turned out to be a nice person, and S'mar didn't hate Fr'kane for embarrassing him and not being able to take a hint. R'kun was friendly to everyone, but he grabbed Fr'kane's hand as soon as they sat down and didn't let go for the whole conversation. Not that Fr'kane minded.

All too soon, R'kun stood. "I'd better go," he said. "Bronth says they're done with lunch."

Fr'kane stood quickly. He didn't want R'kun to go yet, but he couldn't argue with his not wanting to be seen by K'men. "I'll walk you out," he said.

As soon as they were out of sight, R'kun grabbed Fr'kane and kissed him. "I just had to do that," he whispered.

"But, Selmith," Fr'kane whispered back, fighting a grin, and losing.

"A kiss won't compromise her," R'kun assured him. "And if I didn't kiss you, I was going to explode."

"Really?" Fr'kane had only been happier than this when he'd Impressed Selmith. It felt like a part of him that had been empty was suddenly full. And Selmith didn't feel any different than she had before the kiss.

"Really," R'kun said, and kissed him again. This time, the kiss was really hard to break. They were both out of breath when they finally did break apart.

"I'd better hurry," R'kun said, letting go of him. "They really are done with lunch. Meet me at supper?"

Fr'kane nodded, and R'kun left.

S'mar stared at the two riders as they left, hand in hand.

"Well," he said, and couldn't think of an end to the sentence.

"I guess Fr'kane won't be flirting with you again," Korla said, and laughed.

"I guess not," S'mar replied. "In a way, I'm relieved, but it was also kind of flattering."

"I can see how that could be true," Korla admitted. "But don't dwell on it. We've got a mystery to solve."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_You can't keep fooling yourself, you know._

_I know, _the rider told his dragon. _Ferrying him around makes me as bad as he is._

_Then why do you do it?_

_Because he's my brother._

Korla was enjoying the evening meal, a particularly tasty roast wherry, when she heard all the dragons keen. A rider and/or his dragon had died.

"Who was it?" nearly everyone was asking.

_Salth and P'dron, _Rinath told her. _They were carrying a Master Smith and a Journeyman Smith to Borden's Mine. They were from Telgar Weyr._

Korla shot a meaningful look at S'mar. They noiselessly left the room. "This sounds too much like Kornen's death to me," she whispered to him.

"I think we'd better go see if our Journeyman Cairden left the Hall today," he replied.

Without another word, they called their dragons to them. They mounted as quietly as they could, and went _between _to the Minecrafthall as soon as they had airspace.

Fr'kane was sitting next to R'kun when the dragons keened the loss of one of their kind. He saw R'kun go ashen, and heard him whisper, "No! It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"R'kun!" he said, concerned. "Are you all right? Did you know him?"

R'kun turned to look at him, and blanched even more. "My cousin," he said after a moment's hesitation.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Fr'kane said, and put his arm around R'kun's shoulders. "You know I'm here. If you need a shoulder to cry on or anything like that."

"Thanks," he said, and turned into the hug. Fr'kane felt R'kun's shoulders heave from crying, and thought his heart would just about burst from his friend's pain.

How could such a thing happen? he wondered.

S'mar kept a hand on Korla's shoulder as they entered the Hall, for support. It was so horrible, what had happened to her brother, and now something similar had happened again, this time to a dragonrider. He didn't know how she managed, but he did know that he would help whenever possible.

"Is Journeyman Cairden available?" she asked the first person they saw.

"Oh, him," the Master said in disgust. "He's in Master Tellern's office. Been there all day. Why, do you need him?"

"It's not urgent," Korla assured him. "We can find him later. Thanks for your help!"

"What was that all about?" S'mar asked as they walked back to the dragons.

"Kornen studied the way mine shafts are supported," she answered. "There's a main support that holds more than any other. Once that's gone, the shaft will stand for an hour at the most. Less, if someone goes in it. Cairden's not our killer. He has an alibi."

"Oh," S'mar said. "If he's not our killer, then who is?"

"I don't know," she said. "But we are going to find out."

"This has gone too far," the rider stormed as soon as he was alone. "He killed a rider this time."

"Yes," an emotionless voice said from the corner of the rider's weyr. "And I will kill you if you tell anyone."

The rider broke into a cold sweat at the sound of his brother's voice. "How did you get here?" He turned quickly so that his back wasn't facing his brother. That was a lesson he had learned at a very young age. Even when he was six Turns old, the rider's brother had known how to hurt someone when their back was turned.

"That's for me to know," he said, a kind of malicious glee entering his voice.

"What do you need me for, then?" the rider spat at his brother, trying to contain his fear.

"Oh, dear brother," he said, his air that of a mother scolding an unruly child. "That would be telling, wouldn't it?

"Think about what I said." With that, he slipped out of the weyr.

The rider's fear lasted well into the night, and it took all of his dragon's effort to soothe him into a fitful sleep.

Fr'kane stirred from sleep. He thought he'd heard something in R'kun's weyr. Getting out of bed, he grabbed a glow from the glowbasket, and walked silently out to the corridor, and into his friend's weyr.

He found R'kun curled up with Bronth, asleep. Strangely, the dragon was still awake. He turned greenish-yellow eyes on Fr'kane.

_He's scared, _a voice very like R'kun's sounded in his head.

"Bronth?" Fr'kane whispered, for who else could it be?"

The brown dragon nodded. _Can you help him?_

"Why's he scared?" Fr'kane whispered, trying not to wake R'kun.

_It would be his life to tell you, _the dragon said, a tinge of white fear coming into his eyes.

"I'll do what I can," Fr'kane whispered. He put the glow in R'kun's glowbasket, covered it, and knelt down beside R'kun.

Poor R'kun. His face did look clammy. Fr'kane kissed his forehead and laid down beside him. He fell asleep with his arm around R'kun.

As R'kun subconsciously felt the presence of both his dragon and the man he loved, his sleep calmed, and he was able to put aside the terror that had come over him.

And Bronth rested, knowing that his rider was well looked after.


	7. Chapter 6

_A/N: And now, what you have all been waiting for since you read the words "two mating flights" in the summary. Drum roll, please. Mating flight number one! Sorry it took so long to post_

Disclaimer: The setting and theory belong to Anne McCaffrey, but the characters and plot are mine.

Chapter Six

What woke Fr'kane was a sense of urgency from Selmith. He sat up and rubbed sleep from his eyes. His back ached something fierce.

But he couldn't worry about that now. For he saw Selmith land on R'kun's ledge, looking about four times as brilliant a green as he had ever seen her.

"Oh, no," he groaned. She was about to rise, and he hadn't recognized the signs

R'kun sat up next to him. "Oh, no," he repeated when he saw Selmith.

"Why now?" Fr'kane whined.

R'kun looked sharply at him. "Why are you - oh, never mind. That doesn't matter now. Get to your own weyr. Now!"

Fr'kane heard the urgency in his voice and jumped to obey. He had just made it in the door when Selmith voiced a challenge to the group of males that had assembled, Bronth among them, and leaped into the air.

Fr'kane faltered, and nearly fell. Strong hands supported him and led him to his bed. "Stay with her," someone, he thought it was R'kun, said. "Don't lose her."

That was the last thing Fr'kane heard before rider and dragon lost all distinction.

He was Selmith, rising on an updraft, lost in the joy of unhindered flight, oblivious to all else. With graceful ease she spun, spiraled, and zigzagged up, down, and all around. She flew higher than ever before. She was absolutely invincible.

She was vaguely aware of the males following her. She delighted in eluding them. Eventually, she tired of the game she played. She turned, and laughed to see that most of them had fallen off.

She dived in among them. She eluded a blue, spat at a bronze, and found herself caught in the embrace of a brown, Bronth.

This was meant to be, she realized, and lost herself to the mating passion.

When Fr'kane was himself again, he saw R'kun in bed next to him, still holding him. A smile spread across his face.

"Fantastic," R'kun said hoarsely, a grin across his own face.

"More than that," Fr'kane said.

They just laid like that for a while. Then Fr'kane separated himself. He found his discarded clothes and put them on. He heard R'kun doing the same.

"Why were you in my weyr last night?" R'kun asked.

Fr'kane told him. "Nothing happened, if that's what you're worried about," he finished. "I wouldn't be dumb enough to compromise Selmith."

"I know you wouldn't," R'kun said. "I just wondered."

"I'm kind of wondering something myself," Fr'kane said. "Why were you so scared last night?"

R'kun turned white. "I really can't tell you that," he said.

"Look, whoever gave you a death threat is nowhere near here right now," Fr'kane said reasonably. "There's no way he could know if you tell me what's up."

"You don't know that," R'kun said. "He's got ears everywhere."

"Suit yourself," Fr'kane said, not wanting to upset him further. "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong, though."

Korla wanted to scream. She and S'mar had thoroughly investigated both mine tunnel collapses, and it seemed they were both caused by the same person. Whoever it was, he or she seemed to have a grudge against Smiths. But as hard as they had both worked, there were no leads.

They had asked all the people at each mine if they remembered seeing anyone up to an hour before the collapse who didn't belong there. People remembered a brown dragon, but since no one had seen Weyr insignia, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

The very idea that a rider would want anything to to with this made Korla's skin crawl. And it strengthened her resolve to catch this monster and make him pay.

And another thing that weighed on her mind was the imminence of Rinath's first mating flight. Just that morning, Fr'kane's Selmith had risen, and Korla hadn't seen him all day. She hoped they caught the killer before Rinath rose. It would be dreadful if they missed a chance to catch him simply because they were incapacitated.

With these issues mulling in her brain, Korla was about ready to explode at the evening meal. Not even the delicious food was able to calm her down.

S'mar was looking as frustrated as she was. "How does he do it?" he exploded halfway through the meal, causing the people around them to look at him. "Is he invisible?"

Korla had never seen his so upset. He usually wasn't this excitable, but then, neither was she. The hunt for this madman was consuming them.

"He's not invisible," she assured S'mar. "Though he might as well be."

"He could be setting up another tunnel collapse as we speak," S'mar growled.

It struck Korla how very true that was. "Shards, you're right," she whispered. "How cruel can this man be?"

A thought hit her. She turned desperate eyes to S'mar. "We need help. Who do you trust the most here?"

S'mar led the way to Fr'kane's weyr. He knew Fr'kane would keep the secret, and the young green rider could turn out to be a big help, despite being unable to take a hint sometimes. He smiled a little at the memory.

However annoying Fr'kane could be at times, S'mar was glad he had found R'kun. They were well suited, and Fr'kane deserved someone who would be able to love him the way he needed to be loved.

S'mar glanced sideways at Korla as they walked. He realized with a start that he was falling in love with that confidence she exuded despite all her troubles. Her world had collapsed around her, and yet she'd persevered. He didn't know if he would be able to do that in her shoes. And he wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

_Why are you thinking bad about yourself? _Nerith chided, listening in as usual.

_I'm not, _S'mar replied.

_You were, _Nerith said. _You called yourself a coward. _

_Did not._

_Did too._

_Did not._

_Yes, you did._

_Argh! _S'mar growled, a smile playing on his lips. _I never get anywhere with you._

_So why try? _Nerith said arrogantly.

It was all S'mar could do to keep from laughing. He schooled his expression when they came to Fr'kane's weyr, though. It wouldn't do to appear unprofessional.

He knocked on the wall next to the entrance to let Fr'kane know they were there. There wasn't really much of a door, just a curtain barring the entrance. Fr'kane pushed this back now.

"S'mar? Korla?" he said. "Come in!"

Fr'kane looked none the worse for having experienced a mating flight that morning. He led them over to a small table and chairs.

"Where's R'kun?" Korla asked.

"Getting his stuff," Fr'kane replied. "He wants to move in." He was unable to say that without a smile.

"Congratulations," S'mar said sincerely. "He seems like a nice guy."

"He is," Fr'kane said. "Now, what's up?"

S'mar exchanged looks with Korla. "We need your help," she said.


	8. Chapter 7

_A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this typed. I'm working on two AP classes now, and that means less time to work on this. Thanks to all the people who are bearing with my slowness._

_Disclaimer: The setting and theory belong to Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series. The characters and plot are mine, though._

Chapter Seven

Fr'kane listened to Korla's story in silence. He was struck with a wave of admiration for this girl he barely knew. That was a lot of hardship for one person to endure, and she'd done well at that task.

He listened to S'mar's account of the investigation with interest. That certainly explained why they'd been late to weyrling class the other day. But when S'mar told him about the brown rider seen at both sites, Fr'kane blanched.

"How could a rider do that?" he exclaimed. "And why would his dragon let him?"

"We don't have evidence that the rider is even connected with this," S'mar reminded him. "It could be a coincidence."

"We're not having any luck," Korla added. "We came to you because we need help with this, and S'mar trusts you the most."

Fr'kane was stunned into silence. That S'mar trusted him that much was an immense compliment, and he could only hope he would live up to it.

R'kun walked back in at that point, with an armload of clothes that he deposited into an empty clothes chest. "Hello, S'mar, Korla," he said, smiling at them. "What brings you here?"

"Just catching up on old news," S'mar said, with a pointed look at Fr'kane. He and Korla got up and headed for the door. Just before he left he turned back to Fr'kane. "Think a bout it. That's all we ask." With that he was gone.

"What was all that about?" R'kun asked after they'd left.

"I'm not sure," Fr'kane said, feigning disinterest. He hated lying, but felt an irrational desire to protect his new weyrmate from this knowledge. The poor man was stressed out enough.

"Do you need help with your stuff?" Fr'kane changed the subject.

"That was all I had," R'kun said. "Bronth and I don't need very much."

The reference to the dragon reminded Fr'kane of the tempestuous flight that morning. The dragons had returned a couple of hours before, and now both were asleep in the dragons' part of the weyr.

"Speaking of which," Fr'kane said, "we have to report for duty again tomorrow, don't we?"

R'kun nodded absently. He looked at Fr'kane as if he were about to say something, but seemed to change his mind. Then his resolve seemed to strengthen, and he started to speak.

"Fr'kane?"

"Yes?"

"Are you absolutely sure no one can hear us?"

Fr'kane voiced a query to Selmith, who grumbled about being awakened, but told him that she could sense no one nearby.

"As sure as I can be," he told R'kun.

"I lied to you," R'kun said as if the sentence had been boiling inside him like a cooking pot about to bubble over, "when I told you the rider who died was my cousin."

Fr'kane was silent, at first. He'd trusted R'kun. But then he remembered that he also had been less than truthful. Just then, he hadn't told R'kun what Korla and S'mar had talked to him about, and he'd pretended not to know.

"Continue," Fr'kane said.

"Are you mad that I lied?" R'kun looked remorseful.

Fr'kane's heart softened as he looked at his weyrmate. "I'm not mad, just confused. If that rider wasn't your cousin, why did you say he was?"

"I'd better start at the beginning," R'kun said.

Fr'kane looked him expectantly.

_R'kun answered a request from his brother for conveyance. He hadn't seen Makun for ages, but he hadn't minded that break. Now it was unavoidable._

_R'kun may have disliked Makun, but he wouldn't force this job on anyone. And so he directed Bronth to fly _between _to the cave that his brother had appropriated after his expulsion from the Smith Hall._

_Makun was no different, even after two Turns. He still had frighteningly expressionless black eyes and pasty black hair that stuck out every which way. While R'kun was tall and had an athletic build, Makun was short and stocky. Which could make climbing into Bronth's harness difficult for him, R'kun mused._

_"Rokun! How are you, little brother?" The enthusiasm in Makun's words was at odds with both his tone and his blank eyes._

_"It is R'kun, as you well know, since you specifically asked for my conveyance," R'kun said, hearing the patronization in his brother's voice and hating it. "Where is it that you want me to take you?"_

_"Do you know where Nuhair's Mine is?" Makun asked in such a way that R'kun was sure he thought he was the only one that did._

_Wanting to prove that he knew more than Makun thought he did, R'kun didn't say anything, but helped Makun into the harness and silently told Bronth to take off._

_After nearly five Turn s of being a dragonrider (he would Turn 19 in a few sevendays, having Impressed Bronth at 14), R'kun was able to ride with his dragon's movements and avoid the whiplash that Makun experienced._

_Then, before Makun could yell, R'kun sent Bronth _between_. Before Impressing Bronth, R'kun had gone through all kinds of torment at his older brother's hands. It was satisfying to return the favor, however small the torment._

Don't think like that, _Bronth told him. _It's not nice or healthy.

I know, _R'kun replied. _It disgust me, too.

_Then they were in the airspace above Nuhair's Mine. And R'kun felt cold steel at his throat._

_"Try a stunt like that again, you die," Makun growled. He drew his small knife along R'kun's throat, leaving a very thin strip of blood. "A reminder."_

_At R'kun's instruction, Bronth landed gently near the mine. Makun slid down._

_"Wait for me," he hissed, and then sped off to the mine, his dark clothing making him blend right in with the cliffs._

_R'kun considered taking off and leaving him to fend for himself, but he didn't want to know what Makun would find a way to do to him for such a rebellion._

_He sagged against Bronth's neck. The dragon supported him staunchly, a true comrade._

He hurt you, _Bronth said. _Why would he do that?

_"I have long since given up trying to understand what motivates Makun, my dear Bronth," R'kun said, putting on a brave face for his dragon. "It gives me a headache."_

_It was true. It seemed like Makun had always been evil. The very first memory R'kun had of him was of the older boy kicking him for entering his room without permission. He'd only been four ant the time, and he'd known nothing but pain at his brother's hands since._

_R'kun's musings were interrupted by the sight of Makun returning. He was running as fast as his stocky frame would allow, and R'kun thought he saw a look of triumph on his face._

_"That can't be good," He muttered._

_As soon as Makun was harnessed, he yelled into R'kun's ear that they had to take off immediately._

_"Brace yourself," R'kun said through gritted teeth. Bronth took off and went _between _to Makun's cave._

_R'kun returned to the Weyr as soon as he could. If he never saw that monster again, it would be too soon._

_It didn't take long for R'kun to figure out that Makun had somehow caused the tunnel collapse that was reported at supper. He spent much of the next four days wallowing in guilt and shame that he was too cowardly to tell anyone of Makun. Not even moving into a better weyr the day after the incident raised his spirits._

_On the evening of the fourth day, R'kun found hope, at last, in the form of a lanky youth with messy brown hair and gray-green eyes. The first time R'kun laid his eyes on Fr'kane, it was as if Makun had never existed. R'kun's love for Fr'kane grew strong, if quickly. He had never felt this way about anyone before._

_The only thing that spoiled his happiness was another request for conveyance sent by Makun._

I'll talk him out of it, _R'kun told Bronth as he mounted the dragon._

You're just fooling yourself, _Bronth said. _You know what he'll do if you try.

I know, _R'kun sighed. _He'll make me take him, and if I take him today, knowing what he's up to, I'm as bad as he is.

Then why are you doing it? _Bronth wanted to know._

Because he's my brother, _R'kun answered. _I have to at least try to talk him out of it.

Humans, _Bronth snorted as he took off. _Can't live with them, can't live without them.

_That forced a small smile out of R'kun just before they went _between_. That was Bronth's way of saying he didn't know how to argue anymore._

_They burst out into the sunlight above Makun's cave. Again, he was waiting._

_"You can't do this," R'kun called as soon as they were in earshot. "It's murder."  
_

_Makun climbed up Bronth almost as soon as he landed. He pulled his knife out and stuck it at R'kun's throat. "You try going anywhere but Borden's Mine, my hand might just slip."_

_I tried, R'kun thought to himself. Then he realized he had an advantage. "If you kill me while we're both on Bronth, you'll die, too."_

_"What was that?" For the first time, R'kun thought he detected fear in Makun's voice._

_"Dragons go _between _when their riders die, along with anyone on them. They don't come back."_

_Makun didn't speak for the rest of the trip. But the knife he kept at R'kun's throat, even as they went _between_, spoke for him._

_It was the same routine as the last trip, except at a different mine. As they came back, R'kun hoped desperately that something would go wrong with the collapse, that nobody would die._

_No such luck. R'kun was eating supper with Fr'kane when the dragons keened. A rider had been with the visiting Smiths when the tunnel collapsed. _

_R'kun made up some kind of story to explain his shock at the rider's death to Fr'kane. He loved the man, and wanted to protect him from the knowledge that this death was more than it seemed. He was unable to keep from crying as it finally sank in that his brother was a murderer._

_Once the tears stopped, however, R'kun was able to form a plan. He got Fr'kane to leave by saying he needed to be alone._

_He was just about ready to go to the Weyrleader with what he knew when Makun showed up. He threatened death if R'kun told, and R'kun believed him._

_Makun had frightened him so much that R'kun needed to be next to Bronth in order to sleep that night. And even then he had bad dreams._

"You know what happened after that," R'kun finished. "I won't be surprised if you don't like me anymore."

All through R'kun's story, Fr'kane had been alternating between bursts of outrage at his weyrmate's suffering and excitement because he now had something to tell S'mar and Korla that would help them in their investigation, if R'kun would allow it.

Now, though, Fr'kane saw how it had been for R'kun while he was telling the story. He was scared to death that Fr'kane would hate him because he'd helped a murderer. Fr'kane could only think of one way to reassure him.

He went over to R'kun and kissed him, long and sweet. "I love you, R'kun," he said when they broke apart. "Nothing you say or do could ever change that."

R'kun's face broke into a smile, and they kissed again. Later, as they were falling asleep next to each other, Fr'kane decided against telling R'kun what S'mar and Korla had wanted. They'd been through enough for one day.

The spy grinned from ear to ear as he scampered away. The master had been right about the trick of thinking about nothing. Finally, after watching the master's brother all day, he had something to report.


	9. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: The setting and theory belong to Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series. The characters and plot are mine, though. _

Chapter Eight

Even in sleep, R'kun recognized the sound of a knife being drawn from its sheath. He opened his eyes. There stood Makun, black eyes steely, knife in hand.

"Makun," R'kun said, all fear gone. "Will you turn yourself in?"

Makun snarled and rushed at him. R'kun was ready. He parried Makun's thrust with his own knife. He rolled out of bed and stood, knife held loosely at his side.

"So, little brother," Makun said, grinning wolfishly. "You are fighting me."

"Before you call me 'little' again," R'kun spat, "you'll keep in mind that I'm taller than you!"

He lunged at Makun. It felt as if nearly 19 Turns of torment were giving him strength for this fight. And he needed it, he soon found out. Makun had evidently had much more practice with a blade.

Makun called taunts in between thrusts and parries, but R'kun ignored them. He would be wasting his breath to respond.

Fr'kane awoke to the sound of clashing steel. He felt for R'kun and found nothing. Looking around, he saw R'kun fighting with a man that fit his description of Makun. They both had knives.

Fr'kane didn't hesitate. _Selmith, tell Nerith and Rinath that their riders are needed, _he said, rolling out of bed and joining the fray.

Working together, they soon had Makun subdued. Fr'kane bound his hands and feet with some of the rope he used to repair Selmith's harness when needed. When that was done, he stood back and surveyed their captive.

Makun was furious at having been thwarted. He glared at anything and everything and snarled like a crazy man, which, perhaps, he was.

"Why?" Fr'kane asked simply. "Why kill innocent people?"

"Innocent? Bah!" Makun spat. "I wasn't good enough for them, so they kicked me out! It's as simple as that!"

"Not quite so simple, Makun," R'kun said, shaking his head in disgust. "You killed mine workers, too."

"And a rider," Fr'kane added.

"They got what they deserved!"

"Gag him," R'kun commanded. "I can't stand to listen to him."

"With pleasure," Fr'kane said, tearing a strip of cloth from his shirt. When he stood up, he noticed that they'd attracted a crowd. Even the Weyrleader was there.

"What's been going on here?" T'ren asked sternly. "I don't appreciate being dragged out of bed because of a disturbance."

For a few moments, everything was absolutely silent. Fr'kane wasn't sure how to begin. If he told the truth, R'kun could get in trouble. But if he didn't, a murderer could go free. He'd just opened his mouth to say something when he heard R'kun's voice.

"I think you'll find it well worth the disturbance," he said.

R'kun turned to face the crowd. He had never been good at public speaking. He took a deep breath, and then an idea hit him.

"This is my brother, Makun," he said, kicking the prone form. "Do you know why he's tied up? Because he tried to kill me tonight. And why did he try to kill me? Because I finally told the truth.

"The truth is that my brother is a vicious killer. He's killed seven people in the last sevenday alone. That I know of. There might be more. I wouldn't put it past him.

"How do I know this? I might as well have helped him do it. I transported him. The first time, I had no idea until the deed was done. The second, I knew full well and did it anyway. I'm throwing myself at your mercy, Weyrleader."

R'kun hung his head in shame. All he could hope for was that T'ren would take pity on him.

"That's not completely true," he heard Fr'kane say. "He only went the second time so he could talk Makun out of it. But Makun had a knife at his throat before he could say anything."

T'ren shook his head. "Could I have all the details, please? How'd he manage to kill seven people in two separate incidents?"

"Oh, I can tell you that," a female voice said from the crowd. She stepped forward.

R'kun recognized those violet eyes. "Korla?" he asked, shocked.

She looked his way, and winked. "A few of you may remember a tunnel collapsing at Borden's Mine yesterday, and at Nuhair's Mine a few days before that. Those weren't accidents. I've been investigating them. And I am positive that that investigation's over with now."

R'kun was shell-shocked. "But - how did you know?"

"Simple," Korla answered. "Workers at both mines remember seeing a brown rider come and go in the time frame I estimated for the set-up. We were just about ready to go to the Weyrleader and ask for his help when we heard all the noise."

"How did you know they weren't accidents, though?" T'ren asked.

"My former Weyrleader told me," Korla replied. "Speaking of which, he should be on his way here right now."

This was all too much for R'kun. The adrenaline that had kept him going left him, and he swayed on his feet. He felt Fr'kane's strong arm supporting him. They made it to the bed before he passed out.

Fr'kane looked at all the people. His patience, which he had been trying to keep since he'd first seen the crowd, finally snapped.

"That's it!" he yelled. "Anyone who has Wingleader status or less and is not Korla or S'mar needs to leave right away. You've upset my weyrmate."

There was some grumbling, but eventually, there was breathing room in the weyr. Fr'kane sank into a chair, head in hands. He was exhausted. It was a wonder he hadn't passed out as well.

"Did I miss the party?" an unfamiliar voice boomed out. Out of the corner of his eye, Fr'kane saw Makun flinch.

_A/N: I know it's short, but it's long enough for its purpose._


	10. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: The setting and theory belong to Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series. The characters and plot are mine, though._

Chapter Nine

Korla would recognize L'poll's voice anywhere. It hadn't been long since she'd left Benden, and she still remembered a few instances when she'd slept late and the Weyrleader had had to wake her with a booming shout.

Now she heard the same voice in a different context. This was a L'poll whose patience had run out for the subject of his attention. In this case, it was Makun.

"Makun," he hissed. "How well I remember. Thrown out of Smithcraft Hall on suspicion of causing several injuries in the forge, wasn't it?"

Makun, who had been thrashing in his bonds ever since they'd been put on, was suddenly still. Apparently he had bad memories of L'poll.

"I didn't have proof then," L'poll continued. "If I had, you would not have done this. You would have been on an island somewhere in the Western Sea."

He exchanged silent greetings with T'ren. Korla was a bit surprised to see that the High Reaches Weyrleader seemed as much in awe of L'poll as the younger riders were.

"You have proof now, sir," Korla heard S'mar say. "An eyewitness saw him committing the crimes."

"And you are?" L'poll asked, softening the military-like words with a smile.

"S'mar, sir. Korla asked me to help her investigate."

"Pleased to meet you, L'poll said. "I'd like to ask you how that went, but I've got an eyewitness account to hear."

"Not now, you don't," Fr'kane growled. "I'm not waking him up to be traumatized all over again."

Korla glanced nervously at L'poll. He had never appreciated insubordination at Benden Weyr. Fortunately, he didn't look angry.

"No time like the present then," he said amiably. "Korla, tell me how you caught this piece of slime."

"It was an accident, really," Korla said, embarrassed. "We had a few leads, but they turned out to be dead ends. The only thing that people at both mines remember seeing is a brown rider. And we all know there are too many brown riders on Pern to investigate each and every one of them."

"We needed more help," S'mar cut in. "So we asked Fr'kane here because we didn't want to go to Weyrleader T'ren without proof. We're not entirely sure what happened after that. Fr'kane could tell you better."

Fr'kane sighed. "R'kun's been acting weird. I asked him what was wrong, but he wouldn't tell me until just after you guys left last night. He told me what he just told you: that his brother made him take him to the two mines, and that he's positive Makun was behind the tunnel collapses.

"I was sure there was no one around to hear, or actually, Selmith was sure. But she must have missed something, because Makun showed up and tried to kill R'kun. We got him tied up, and that's when everyone else showed up."

T'ren shook his head in awe. "This was going on right under my nose. And I missed it."

"Don't feel bad," L'poll said. "You did the same thing to me not 6 Turns back."

"That I did," T'ren confirmed, laughing. "Except with me it was kitchen thieves."

Korla looked from one Weyrleader to the other. They must have known each other before.

"Well, there's nothing for it," T'ren continued. "We can't condemn this piece of slime yet. He'll have a fair trial with Lord Holder, Craftmaster, and Weyrleader to judge. Not that he deserves it.

"In the meantime, he'll be kept under lock and key. Come on, you deadglow," he said, yanking Makun to his feet and pushing him out of the room.

"Listen, Weyrleader," Korla started, darting a nervous glance at L'poll. "About R'kun - "

"Say no more," the Weyrleader commanded, his eyes softening. "I see no reason to pursue punishment. This young man had gone through quite enough."

With that, L'poll followed T'ren outside. On his way out the door, he turned back. "Korla, I'm going to be busy the next few days. I'd like to talk with you about some things I've found out when the trial is over. I'll have Mardoth contact Rinath." Then he left.

Korla sat down on a chair wearily. "What a way to start the day," she said,m eliciting shaky laughs from S'mar and Fr'kane.

A moan came from the bed. "R'kun!" Fr'kane exclaimed, eyes shining with love. "Are you all right?"

S'mar pulled Korla out of the chair. "We'll see you later," he said, steering Korla outside.

Korla would have protested the rough treatment had she not been struck suddenly by the fact that S'mar's touch was making her blush. Instead, she maintained her silence and wasn't sure if it was disappointment or relief she felt when he let go.

"Did you notice that L'poll has violet eyes, just like you do?" S'mar asked as they walked back to their end of the Bowl.

Korla almost stopped short. Only a desire to crawl back in bed (it wasn't even dawn) kept her moving. "He does?" she asked.

S'mar nodded confirmation. "What is he's your long-lost father or something?"

"Oh, like that matters," Korla scoffed, aware she sounded rude and not caring. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

Just before they separated, Korla realized that what she'd said could make S'mar mad. She also realized that she didn't want that. She'd come to depend on his strong presence.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I guess I just didn't want another thing on my plate. And I overreacted. You know, I'm really much better to work with when I've had a good night's sleep."

"It's okay. I forgive you," S'mar said. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to upset you."

He hugged her. Korla blushed deeply. She didn't know why he was affecting her like this today. Then it hit her. She loved him. There was no other explanation. She left him, completely confused.

R'kun opened his eyes groggily. Fr'kane was there, looking down at him with love. "I dreamed - Makun! Wait, that wasn't a dream."

Fr'kane shook his head. "You scared me for a minute, R'kun," he said. "When I saw you fighting with him - Shards, R'kun. I don't know where I'd be if you'd died."

R'kun was touched. He could tell that Fr'kane really meant it.

"How did I ever manage without you?" R'kun asked, summoning his strength to pull Fr'kane down to him for a kiss.

That one kiss invigorated him. All his fatigue was gone. He could run all the way to Fort Hold in this condition. He got up, and promptly fell down again.

A sharp pain had gone through his side. He looked, and what he saw almost made him faint again. It seemed that Makun's knife had gotten past his defenses.

"Numbweed," he managed to say. He felt Fr'kane put the jar in his hand. He managed to get his shirt off so that he could spread the antiseptic salve over the wound. The effect was instant. He no longer felt the pain.

"Idiot," Fr'kane said. "That's the way to get infections. You'd better let me help you."

R'kun shrugged, and let his weyrmate take over.

"I'll need to wash the blood off, and the numbweed will be washed off, too. But I'll put some more on when I get the cut clean. You're lucky. This isn't very deep. It will probably heal enough for you to go between safely in a few days."

As Fr'kane talked and worked, R'kun realized that Makun would never hurt another person again. He didn't know for sure what had happened after he'd passed out, but there was no way Makun could have escaped. There would be a trial. And R'kun knew that he would do whatever he had to to make sure that Makun would never be a danger to anyone again.


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: It's been an incredibly long time since the last update. I now have a computer of my own, making updates easier. I'm sorry all of you faithful readers had to wait so long. At long last, I have the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The characters, plot, and some of the setting are my own. The rest I graciously admit belong to Anne McCaffrey.

Chapter Ten

The trial took place in two sevendays. During that time, Korla had been treading carefully with S'mar. She knew that she loved him, but she didn't know if he loved her. She didn't think she could handle it if he didn't return her love, and by admitting her feelings she ruined their friendship. Part of her knew she was being silly, that S'mar wouldn't let such a thing come between them, but the rest of her was too much in love to think clearly.

And so, she had immersed herself in compiling the evidence against Makun for the trial. And now the time for the trial had finally come.

Since both of the mines in question were in Crom, the representative for the Lord Holders was Raldon, Lord of Crom. The trial was also taking place in Crom's Great Hall, a very grand and imposing sight. Both T'ren and L'poll represented the Weyrleaders. The Craftmasters were represented by Mastersmith Calrane and Masterminer Tellern, as both their crafts had been deeply affected by the tragedies.

These five were sitting behind an elevated table made of the finest hard oak wood and donated for the occasion by the wood smith at the Smithcrafthall in Telgar. Makun had elected to speak in his own defense, so he was sitting by himself on the left side of the Great Hall. S'mar, who was presenting the evidence, was seated on the right side, with Korla seated next to him as his assistant.

Each side of the room had a small table with two chairs behind it, for each side of the case to sit at. Behind the tables were rows of chairs for the audience to sit in. All this was lit by the early morning light seeping in through the open door to the Great Hall from the outside. It was this door that would have been shut to protect the Hold from Threadfall if this were a Pass. As the horrid Thread had not been seen for a hundred Turns, the door was left invitingly open.

One of the official duties of harpers was mediating, so Masterharper Wellam himself was officiating the trial. Korla had tried to read any emotions behind the politely pleasant face, still handsome for a man well past his 50th Turn, but to no avail. The Masterharper of Pern had been trained well. Now he stood, and the chatter of the audience, mostly family and friends of the victims, subsided.

"All rise," he intoned, following a little-used script left by their ancestors. "This is the trial of Makun, of first Telgar and then Crom. He has been charged with the murder of seven people and one dragon. He will be judged by Weyrleaders T'ren and L'poll, of High Reaches and Benden Weyrs, Lord Holder Raldon of Crom and Craftmasters Calrane and Tellern, of the Smith and Mine crafts. Sit down." Master Wellam spoke as if he were fulfilling a duty he didn't want to do but had to do anyway.

"Now that all of that official-sounding nonsense is done," he said in a much brighter voice, "on with the trial! The prosecution may start."



Korla heard S'mar take a deep breath. He stood and walked away from their table, his footsteps echoing on the stone floor.

"Weyrleaders, Craftmasters, Lord Holder," he began in a strong voice, inclining his head in respect to each, "and our audience, I will be speaking to you today about two heinous crimes.

"Three sevendays ago, a tunnel collapsed in Nuhair Mine, taking the lives of Master Smith Torbin and Apprentice Smith Kornen, as well as Journeyman Miner Nurany. It was investigated, and found to be suspicious. Five days later, a tunnel collapsed in Borden Mine, killing Master Smith Maldon, Journeyman Smith Kalvor, Journeyman Miner Sylvan, and perhaps the worst yet, blue rider P'dron and his dragon Salth of Telgar Weyr.

"I intend to prove to you that these tunnels collapsed because of the work Makun did. I also intend to prove that he did it on purpose, and had planned it beforehand, both elements of the crime of murder. Thank you."

Makun then stood. "Ladies and gentlemen, the charges against me are unfounded and ridiculous. I intend to prove them so. Thank you."

Korla shook her head, almost in pity. The evidence against him was overwhelming. He stood no chance of going free. But she had to admit that it was a clever ploy, following S'mar's long and eloquent speech with something short and concise.

S'mar stood again. "I would like to call Korla of High Reaches Weyr as a witness."

Masterharper Wellam nodded. "Go up to the stand, Korla."

Korla stood, and walked to a lectern that was serving as a witness stand. She was now in a position where everyone in the room could see her clearly.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, on the shards of your dragon's egg?"

"I do," Korla said fervently. She hated lying, and she would never lie, but others might, so the oath was necessary.

"Proceed," Masterharper Wellam said.

S'mar smiled at her. "State your name and age," he said.

"Korla, age 16 Turns," she said, barely managing to say the words in order. This was _not _the time to let her feelings for S'mar take control. She forced herself to calm down.

"You were told to investigate the Nuhair Mine tunnel collapse, were you not?"

"Yes," Korla answered. "My old Weyrleader, L'poll, told me to investigate it."

"What were your findings?"



"The tunnel collapsed because someone had removed the main tunnel support up to an hour before the collapse. On further review, I found evidence of foul play."

"What was that evidence?"

"There is no record of anyone being assigned the task of removing the main support."

"You also investigated the Borden Mine tunnel collapse, correct?"

"That is correct."

"What were your findings for that investigation?"

"The same."

"Did you notice any other similarities between the two cases?"

"At both mines, people remembered seeing a brown dragon land nearby at a time when no rider was scheduled to visit."

"No further questions."

Korla sagged in relief. She'd gotten through the testimony. Now she just had to get through Makun's questions.

"Do you wish to cross-examine, Makun?" Wellam asked.

He stood and nodded. "I do, Masterharper."

"Go ahead then," Wellam said.

Makun walked directly over to the lectern. Korla nearly lost her composure at the sight of his eyes. They had no emotion in them. They didn't even seem human.

"Are you frightened of me?" he asked.

"Objection!" S'mar said, standing up. "What is the relevance of this?"

"Goes to credibility," Makun replied.

Wellam appeared to think for a moment. "I'll allow it, but make your point quickly."

"That means you can answer," Makun said patronizingly.

Korla bristled, but didn't react out loud. "I would be, perhaps, if I didn't know more about you. I don't know if you've noticed, but your eyes seem devoid of life. That is just my opinion. But, knowing what you are, I am not afraid of you."

"If you are not afraid of me, what emotion do you feel towards me?"

Korla thought about it. She'd told the truth. She wasn't scared of him. But neither did she like him.



"Sorrow," she admitted finally. "Seven people and a dragon have allegedly (for the sake of propriety) died at your hands. I do not pity you for any punishment you may or may not receive, but I am saddened by the fact that you do not wish to take responsibility for your own actions."

That seemed to shock him, but he recovered quickly. "It would seem that you are convinced I am guilty, correct?"

"I am convinced of that, yes. But my opinion matters little in the grand scheme of things."

"16 Turns. That's a bit young for an investigator, wouldn't you say?"

"I would."

"Have you any idea why you were chosen to investigate these incidents?"

"It might be because Weyrleader L'poll knew that if someone had been behind my brother's death, I would find him."

"That's another question. Was Apprentice Smith Kornen your brother?"

"Yes," Korla replied. "He was my twin brother, to be precise."

"I have one last question. You mentioned that a brown rider was seen at both mines at times when there was no rider scheduled to appear. Might these times have been outside the hour you projected for the crime to be committed in earlier?"

"I apologize. I was not thorough in my earlier answer. Both times, the brown dragon landed half an hour before the tunnel collapse."

"No further questions."

"You may step down, Korla."

Relieved, she sat down next to S'mar, glad to be off her feet.

"You did great," S'mar whispered in her ear before standing up again. "I would like to call R'kun of High Reaches Weyr to the stand," he said.

After R'kun was sworn in, S'mar had him go through his version of events. Makun came back with a vengeance.

"You say that you transported me to and from these mines. If that is true, then that would make you an accessory to murder, correct?"

"It would," R'kun said. "The Masterharper has granted me immunity in exchange for my testimony against you."

"Is there any documented proof of your accusations?"

"None that I know of," R'kun replied.



"No further questions."

"If I may interject," T'ren said when R'kun had left the stand, "High Reaches Weyr keeps careful track of its conveyance requests. Both the prosecution and the defense should have copies of the relevant records."

S'mar nodded. Makun grudgingly nodded as well.

"I'd watch myself," Wellam warned him.

S'mar stood up again. "I have one last witness, Masterharper. Pyrna, Weyrwoman of High Reaches Weyr."

Pyrna was sworn in. This was the one part where Korla hoped she could have asked the questions. During mealtimes, the Weyrwoman ate with the Weyrleader as a general rule. So Korla had never really met the High Reaches Weyrwoman.

But S'mar was doing really well at this. He continued to question. "Keeping charge of conveyance requests is part of your job, am I right?" he asked now.

"Yes, you are," Pyrna replied.

"Do you remember any requests from the defendant?"

"Yes, several. He submitted them all at the same time."

"What time would that be?"

"Three and a half sevendays ago," she replied.

"How many of these were processed?"

"Only two."

"And what were the dates and times for those requests?"

"The first one was for the third day of the eighth month, exactly three sevendays ago. The second was for five days later. Both of them had a pickup time of about half an hour before supper."

"Is it common procedure for a person who is requesting conveyance to include their destination with the request?"

"Yes. Otherwise the request will not get processed."

"What were the locations on Makun's two requests?"

"The first was Nuhair Mine, and the second, Borden Mine."

"Thank you, Weyrwoman. I have nothing further."

Makun was up in a flash. "You said that I submitted several conveyance requests. How many is several?"



"Fifteen." There was a collective gasp from the audience. Korla had already known how many collapses Makun had planned, but she could still barely stifle her horror at his monstrous plans.

"Were all of the destinations mines?"

"Yes, they were."

"Did that make you suspicious?"

"At first, no. Mine Hall is in our territory, and we get a lot of requests from those who wish to inspect the mines."

"You said 'at first'. Was there a point when you were suspicious?"

"Yes. When the second mine you visited had a tunnel collapse and the same had already happened with the first mine you visited."

"Did you act on your suspicions?"

"If the same thing happened at the third mine, I was not going to process any more of your requests, and I was going to bring the matter to Weyrleader T'ren's attention."

"So you were willing to let three, possibly four more people die? I withdraw the question," he added before S'mar could object.

"No further questions."

S'mar stood up. "Masterharper, that concludes my case. I would like to request a short recess."

"Granted," Wellam said. Korla stood and stretched.

"We got through the first part," she told S'mar quietly.

"Not yet. Sit back down," he hissed.

She automatically obeyed.

"You have fifteen minutes," Wellam continued, smiling at Korla. "This trial is adjourned."

"Now you can stand up," S'mar told Korla, laughter in his voice.

Korla's cheeks burned with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be," he told her. "Enjoy this brief reprieve before we have to go through the second part."


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: The characters and plot are mine, but the setting and theory belong entirely to Anne McCaffrey.

Chapter Eleven

Fr'kane was shocked when he heard his name being called. He'd thought that he wouldn't be called to witness because nothing he knew was unique to him as well as relevant to the case. Apparently Makun thought differently.

He walked over to the lectern, was sworn in, and prepared for a deluge of harsh questions.

Makun surprised him. "You've been my brother's weyrmate for two sevendays, right?"

"And a day," Fr'kane corrected him, proud despite himself.

"What is your opinion of my brother?"

"He's the most fiercely loyal person I've met. He's selfless, almost to a fault, but that's part of what I love about him. In all the time I've known him, he's only told one lie, and he confessed it to me a day later. So I guess he's honest, too. Oh, and he's brave."

"What would you say if I told you that he made up the story he told you about me?"

"No way. Dragons don't lie, and Bronth confirmed it."

"You ride the green Selmith, don't you?"

"Yes, R'kun rides Bronth."

"It's highly unusual for a dragon to talk to a human that isn't his or her rider, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. At least, it is when the riders have only known each other for a short time. It's considered a sign of ultimate trust when another rider's dragon talks to you."

"So R'kun trusts you deeply?"

"Bronth does, at any rate."

"What do you think R'kun would say to the information that you've been cheating on him with the prosecutor?"

Fr'kane couldn't help it. He laughed. It took him almost a minute to get back under control.

"I'm sorry," he said, gasping for breath. "That is just so utterly ridiculous. Me and S'mar? You have _got_ to be kidding me."

Fr'kane wiped tears of mirth away from his eyes. "That is scientifically impossible, by the way. The proof's right in front of your eyes. Look who he chooses to sit next to him. A girl.



"No, S'mar does not prefer men. And in answer to your original question, I think R'kun would react just like I did. We've been through too much together for either of us to cheat."

Fr'kane caught R'kun's eyes. They both smiled.

S'mar stood up. "Must we continue with this, Masterharper? It is obvious that the defendant has no real defense."

"I'm inclined to agree," Wellam said. "Makun, if you cannot produce anything relevant to the case from this witness, I suggest that you dismiss him."

Makun scowled. "Nothing further."

"Do you wish to cross-examine?" Wellam asked S'mar.

"Not at all," S'mar said. "That would be pointless."

"You're free to go, then," Wellam told Fr'kane.

Fr'kane gladly sat down next to R'kun. They clasped hands immediately.

"You did great, Fr'kane," R'kun whispered, making his ear tingle pleasantly. "Makun's grasping at straws now."

"You didn't believe him, right?"

"Not for a minute. You hit the nail on the head when you said we've been through too much together to cheat."

Fr'kane kissed him quickly. "Do I ever tell you how much I love you?"

"All the time," R'kun said with a smile.

Fr'kane heard S'mar speaking. "Oh, they're doing closing arguments already."

" – your duty as citizens of Pern," he was saying. "You've seen the evidence against Makun. You've seen his meager defense. It is your job to decide which you believe. Fulfill your duty. Find him guilty."

Then he sat down. "Shards, that was short," Fr'kane whispered.

Makun stood up. "I admit that my defense was not great, but I did not have much time to prepare."

Fr'kane wished that they could interrupt him. Two sevendays was enough for anyone.

"I did not do this. By exiling me, you would be ruining any chance of life I have. Could you live with that?"

Looking at T'ren and L'poll, Fr'kane thought they could. Calrane and Tellern also looked unsympathetic. It was Lord Raldon who gave no clue as to his feelings. Fr'kane almost felt sorry for Makun, faced with 

judges like these. But then he remembered that seven people had died at Makun's hands, and that he had tormented R'kun all his life. His sympathy disappeared.

S'mar was confident when the five judges left the room. He had proved his case. Makun had had no case. He turned to Korla.

She looked tense. "It's all right," he told her. "There's no way Makun's going free now."

"That's not what I'm worried about," she said.

"What are you worried about, then?"

"You are so stupid," she said.

S'mar was shocked at her reaction. "What did I say?"

"If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you."

"What do you mean?" he asked. She'd never acted like this around him. Then it hit him. Makun's accusation. Maybe she'd actually believed it for a minute.

"Korla," he said, unaware that his voice was deeper, more commanding. She looked at him. He wanted so badly for her to trust him. He could only think of one thing that would convince her he loved her and her alone. He kissed her.

S'mar knew full well that Rinath hadn't risen yet. He also knew that since they were in a public place, they were unlikely to do anything that would compromise her. All the same, it was hard to break apart.

"I love you," he said, willing her to believe him. "I told you I felt nothing for Fr'kane. I didn't lie. I would never lie to you."

"I know you didn't like," Korla said, looking a bit shocked, but smiling. "I didn't believe Makun. Those were the cries of a desperate man. But thanks for that. That made me feel 90 percent better."

"Oh," S'mar said. "Don't I feel dumb. But if that wasn't what was bothering you, what was?"

Korla smiled at him. He loved that smile. "I guess I forgive you for not understanding. You don't have this problem. I was worrying about Rinath. So many of the new greens have risen, and I guess she'll have to rise soon. It's making me tense.

"Also, I love you, too. I was worried you might not feel the same about me. That worry is gone now."

S'mar felt stupid. He shouldn't have doubted her trust in him. "Well, don't worry," he told her. "If I have a say in any of this, Nerith will fly Rinath."

"With luck, you're right," Korla said hopefully.



S'mar put his arm around her. "If nothing else good comes from today, at least we're not dancing around each other anymore."

"That's true," she said, moving so she fit tighter into his embrace.

S'mar was really and completely happy for the first time in months. There was something about Korla that made him feel like the happiest man alive, just knowing she loved him.

The sound of footsteps brought him back to the present. The judges were coming back. With an apologetic look, he removed his arm from Korla's shoulders. It wouldn't do for him to look anything less than professional. At least until the end of the trial. Then he could look as unprofessional as he wished. He smiled at the thought.

R'kun searched the faces of the judges. What would their decision be? It certainly hadn't taken them very long. That had to be a good sign. For him, anyway.

Lord Raldon was standing. Apparently, he had been elected spokesman. "We have reached a decision," he said. "We've decided that Makun is guilty of murder. We sentence him to exile on an island in the Western Sea. L'poll has asked to transport him to said island, being the only person to know its exact location. Thank you."

R'kun wasn't sure how he felt. Makun was a vicious killer. He had proven that several times over. But he was still R'kun's brother. That bond, however mutilated, would always be there.

It was with mixed feelings that R'kun watched L'poll frog-marching Makun toward his bronze dragon. At the last moment before the dragon took off, Makun met his eyes. He recoiled from the hatred in them. But he didn't look away.

Through the power of his eyes, R'kun forced his brother to see that he'd done wrong. Just as the mighty bronze dragon started to fly, R'kun thought he saw something different. He thought maybe, just maybe, he saw remorse.

And then the dragon flew high and disappeared _between_. As long as he lived, R'kun would never be sure what he had seen. But he would never see Makun again.

A/N: No, this is still not the end. But we're getting close. Only one more chapter and an epilogue. sob Read and review, please!!


	13. Chapter 12

A/N: At long last, the second mating flight advertised in the summary, and the last full chapter. Only the Epilogue left after this. Read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: In case you didn't already know, only the characters and plot are mine. The rest belongs to Anne McCaffrey, who is a much better author than me.

Chapter Twelve

Korla walked out of the Great Hall. She had thought she'd enjoy seeing her brother's killer sentenced. But when it came down to it, Korla hadn't been able to hold back tears. However horrible he was, Makun was still a human being. Perhaps being on a deserted island would turn him insane. Well, more insane than he already was.

The cynical part of Korla's brain told her he deserved it. He deserved every minute of his exile for killing Kornen. But the emotional part of her was not convinced.

However, both sides of her internal debate were quieted when she saw Rinath gliding down from the fireheights with Nerith close behind.

"S'mar," she managed to say. "Has she ever been that color before?"

He'd been walking with her. Now he stopped dead in his tracks. Korla turned to see a grin spread across his face.

"Why are you smiling?" she demanded.

"Now I know why you're so touchy today. It's classic pre-flight syndrome."

"Pre-flight syndrome?" Korla smiled despite herself. "You just made that up, didn't you?"

"Seriously, though," he continued, pretending to be in earnest. "Hasn't pretty much every green rider whose dragon rose lately been touchy for a couple of days beforehand?"

"Not Fr'kane. Not that I noticed, anyway."

"Yeah, well. Leaving room for the oddballs."

"S'mar!" Korla groaned. "Now is _not_ the time to joke around."

S'mar turned truly serious. "I know it's not," he said. "I'm sorry."

"This means we have to get back to the Weyr right away," Korla said. She was just repeating a lot of what she'd learned in weyrling class months ago, but it was true.

"You're right," S'mar said.

Without another word, they mounted their dragons and flew _between_ to High Reaches Weyr.

L'poll was disappointed when he saw that Korla was gone. He'd wanted to tell her what he'd discovered. While she'd been investigating the mines, he'd been looking into her family history. What he'd learned was amazing.

Oh well, he thought. Guess I'll find her later.

S'mar went through a trying afternoon and evening. All jokes aside, Korla was thoroughly tense, and she took it out on him and anyone else in her path. Only his deep love for her kept him at her side.

He was almost relieved when, around sunset, several other male dragons joined Nerith in congregating around Rinath.

He only allowed himself a small amount of worry about Nerith's performance in this flight. Then he mentally prepared himself. S'mar would never admit it to Korla, but this flight had been worrying him, too.

Then, almost without warning, Rinath bellowed a challenge to her suitors and took off.

_She's feisty_, S'mar heard Nerith say admiringly. Then he was off with his dragon, soaring high above the clouds with one object on his mind: the beautiful green dragon flying so far before him.

Nerith assessed Rinath. Yes, she was erupting in acrobatics, but they were few and of the sort that didn't consume much energy. She was saving her strength.

Very well, then. He would, too. He saw other dragons; a vague part of him recognized some of his clutchmates. He scorned them, for they were using up their energy quickly. On the other hand, there were grizzled veterans who had surely noticed what he had about Rinath. Nerith had competition.

There were eleven of them in all, going after Rinath. Nerith knew he could discount about six, the overeager ones. There were two beginning to falter already. That left four others to contend with.

Nerith made a decision, right then and there. None of them would have Rinath. Rinath was his, and his alone.

It was a long, grueling flight, accompanied by the gusts of wind that meant exhausted dragons were dropping out. From time to time, Rinath looked back at him. At least, he liked to imagine she was looking at him. At any rate, the glimpses of her laughing face kept him going.

Then – was she wheeling around? She was! Now came the hard part. Nerith took a quick look around. Four dragons were left, not including himself. Just as he'd thought.

He had a sudden burst of speed. He passed the others. He used all his remaining energy to get to her. Almost there…. He had her! He was never letting her go now.

_Nerith? _She asked. _Is that you?_

_It is, Rinath, my love. _And then, there was no need for talk.

He was no longer in the air; he was in a bed. His arms (he had arms again) were wrapped around a human body.

Bit by bit, S'mar came back to himself. They'd won. He and Nerith had caught Rinath and, he smiled, Korla.

S'mar looked at the girl he was holding. They'd been through so much together already. The investigation, Makun's trial, and now this. He was never loved her more.

"S'mar?" She was back.

"Korla, my love," He said, pushing a stray lock of hair back from her face.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I was so horrible to you."

He put a finger to her lips. "Not another word. I'd still love you if you breathed fire at me every time I looked at you."

"Now there's an idea," she said weakly. That was a joke. It was the first time he'd heard a joke from her. His heart overflowed with gladness. She was starting to get her life back again.

He kissed her. He was exhausted, but he couldn't follow up an experience like that with anything but a kiss.

Korla yawned as S'mar took his lips away. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I don't think I can stay awake another minute."

"Sleep all you like, love," he said softly. "You've earned it." He kissed her forehead. She didn't respond for she was already asleep.

He smiled, and soon fell asleep himself, holding the woman he loved.

L'poll visited High Reaches Weyr for the evening meal the next day. He sat with T'ren and Pyrna at the high table.

"What brings you here?" T'ren asked him. L'poll didn't know how to answer his one-time subordinate who had transferred here and done so well.

Should he tell T'ren that his brother L'nen, who had died more than a Turn before, had been highly irresponsible seventeen years before, and had gotten his serving girl at Harper Hall, Sakory, pregnant? And that he'd left her to fend for herself? How could he? The story, so recently learned, already was a source of shame for him.

The one good thing about that story was Korla. L'poll now had a niece. He deeply regretted having never met his nephew. He'd come tonight to see if he could tell Korla of their blood relationship.

He caught sight of her. She was eating with three others he recognized from that whole mess revolving around Makun. S'mar, the prosecutor from the trial, had his arm around her. Fr'kane and R'kun, the weyrmates who'd gotten caught up in the events, were there as well. All four were laughing at some joke. Even Korla. His niece was laughing, maybe for the first time in weeks.

"I came for the food, of course," L'poll said, finally answering T'ren's query.

Perhaps he'd tell her, someday. But not today. The news that he'd discovered the identity of her father only to realize he was dead would come as quite a shock. Korla seemed much too happy for another shock.

Taking his eyes from his niece, L'poll continued his meal, which was far better than any he'd get at Benden, though he'd never tell the Headwoman of the Lower Caverns that. He valued his life too much. Smiling at his private joke, L'poll turned to T'ren and started talking about Weyr business. Hopefully they could all get back to normal after this.


	14. Epilogue

Disclaimer: The characters and plot are mine. Everything else is Anne McCaffrey's.

Epilogue

"I'd say we did pretty well together," Fr'kane said.

"It was pure luck," Korla argued.

"Stop being modest," S'mar ordered her. "I hate it when you don't give yourself enough credit."

They were eating supper together, all four of them.

"You know what we should do?" R'kun said, at Fr'kane's side as usual. "We should ask T'ren if we can form a special unit to go specifically after criminals. It could be called Dragon Justice!"

They all looked at each other, thinking about it.

"Do you know, I think I like that," Korla mused.

"Dragon Justice," S'mar said softly. "That's perfect. We all ride dragons, and we'd bring justice to those who deserve it.

"R'kun, did I ever tell you that I love your ideas?" Fr'kane asked.

They all laughed. Fr'kane often said similar things to R'kun.

"Dragon Justice it is!" R'kun said. "A toast, to our future business partnership. To Dragon Justice!"

"To Dragon Justice!" They all clinked wine glasses.

Far away, in a wooded glade in Lemos, a traveling family slept peacefully. Little did they guess that a figure lay hidden in the shadows, a malicious smile on his face. There would be murder that night….

TO BE CONTINUED (maybe)

A/N: What do you think? Should there be a Dragonjustice II? Let me know in your reviews. Alas, we are finally at an end. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.


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